Shinobi Stories
by PineappleOverlord
Summary: A drabble series of the Naruto characters, with a fairytale concept for each one.
1. Sleeping Beauty

**Shinobi Stories**

**Sleeping Beauty**

**Shikamaru x Reader**

**Fluff**

Shikamaru was always busy.

He was one of the more talented Konoha ninja, that was clear. As the first of your age group to graduate to chūnin, possessor of the legendary hiden technique of the Nara clan, and with an intelligence exceeding all others,there was obviously a reason why the Godaime was constantly sending him on missions.

But even so, perhaps Tsunade was overdoing it a little.

He would be gone for days- sometimes weeks- on end, and as soon as he returned to the village, he would only have a day or two's respite before jetting off again.

Perhaps that was why his laziness was so pronounced nowadays; he never had any time to really relax. And as a ninja renowned for his infallible idleness, this was definitely a bad thing.

"And then?"

"Turns out the rogue ninja was the one who sent the mission," he half-sighed, half-yawned, "Did it to incriminate his team and get all the loot for himself."

" Wow, that sounds..."

"Troublesome? Yeah."

Actually, it sounded intriguing, like something out of a novel, but you kept quiet and watched as Shikamaru plummeted to the ground, arms cradling his head, staring at the sky with half-closed eyes.

"And the girl? Reiko? What happened to her?"

"Where did I get up to? Before you sidetracked me again?"

"Your kunai shower."

He closed his eyes, "Right. She was wounded pretty badly. The kunai were laced with poison, but she used her jutsu to expel every last drop. She was still haemorrhaging horribly though, so we managed to get her down. And that was the end of it, I guess."

You knew it was bad of you to be jealous when Shikamaru was so exhausted, but your lust for adventure had full control.

You flopped to the ground, "Pff, serves her right."

The Nara looked at you through half-lidded eyes, too lazy to ask your meaning.

"You said that Reiko wore a yukata, right? It's pretty thin fabric, it's not really going to guard from an attack... you know, I've always thought that kuniochi should have some sort of standard uniform. Too many go around in lycra and bare skin and that's sort of a safety hazard, yeah? You could easily stick a knife in there and then... bam! Hello, internal organs. I mean, if we all just had long sleeves and long trousers and those flak jacket things, like the one you wear, I doubt we'd suffer that many casualties. That goes for shinobi too. Like Sai. He sort of dresses like a manwhore, don't you think? I think I might confer with Tsunade about it. Ne, Shikamaru?"

You roll over onto your side, expecting an enthusiastic answer, or at least the customary 'troublesome' he always gives when you have another one of your 'silly ideas'.

Instead, you find Shikamaru sleeping.

Not that that's an odd thing for him to be doing, not at all, but you're just that little bit offended that he wasn't listening. Espeially since this idea was actually really good.

Even in his sleep, he seems to notice your distaste, as his brow furrows, revealing to you the deep bags set beneath his eyes. His usually tousled hair is particularly unkempt, thorns of dark hair escaping from a half-hearted ponytail. His clothes are wild and his skin blanched from his overactivity. He looks like a wreck.

Admittedly, a very handsome wreck.

The shadow ninja is still, for once not sighing or groaning or yawning or massaging the crook of his neck. No, he is utterly quiet.

Not wanting to disturb him, you murmur a soft, "Sweet dreams, Shikamaru," before placing- and you don't know why- a tender kiss on his forehead.

His eyelids clutter open at once. No, not flutter- snap. He's up instantly, pushing you away, although tentatively, "What was that?"

"You fell asleep."

Although your voice is sure, your head most certainly isn't.

"Then why didn't you just let me?"

"Am I really that boring to listen to?"

"I was tired, okay?"

"Well, you're a crappy storyteller. And I didn't go to sleep on you, did I?" you pout.

He sighs, rubbing the crook of his neck, "Troublesome woman."

Funny how both of you pretend not to see the blush on the other's face.

**AN: I hope it's still vaguely recognisable as Sleeping Beauty (since he's sleeping, and yet as soon as he's kissed, he wakes up) **

**In no way was I Sai-bashing. In fact, I love Sai (he's my fifth favourite character and so underloved ;_;)**

**Although this is a Naruto series based on fairytales, each one will most likely be a one-shot.**


	2. Pinocchio

**Shinobi Stories**

**Pinocchio**

**Sasori x Reader x Deidara**

**Angst/Smut**

"Art is a bang, yeah?"

"Yeah," you sighed, although noncommitally- you were too absorbed in pleasing the blond bomber to really think about what he was saying.

Sasori noticed the faraway gleam in your eyes, but said nothing. He didn't even protest the eternity of true art, the endurance of real beauty. For the first time, he didn't object to his partner's views.

Although they were obviously wrong.

You were proof enough. Your face, although marred by burns and scars, radiated with a certain admirability. And your eyes, although set deep into sleepless sacs and dull with the grief of a missing-nin, were beautiful too. It was clear that, no matter what misfortune befell you, no matter how time distorted your features, you would still be the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes upon.

Yes, your beauty was eternal.

And Deidara was oblivious to it all, too attached to his beasts of clay to notice the affection lingering in the very air you breathed.

Sasori noticed it. The way your eyes took on a love-addled gleam when you saw him. The way your voice gained an affectionate lilt when you said his name. The way you tried to attach yourself to his side with an invisible cord.

Sasori noticed all this and he lapped it up, even though he knew that none of it was directed at him.

"Deidara?" you simpered through those divine lips, "Do you think you could teach me to be an artist like you?"

He looked up briefly, steely grey eyes catching yours, just for a moment, and the disinterested look made the puppet want to hit something, preferably a certain blonde, "Huh, I don't know, un. I don't think you could do it."

"I know I don't have hands like yours, but I could find another way, I swear. I'd-"

The redhead lost a little of his focus there. The way you said that word... you said hands like you were picturing Deidara's running over your body, threading through your hair, pushing away your clothes, licking at skin, pleasuring, tormenting, arousing...

Sasori pushed the image out of his brain, removed it before the bomber shifted and became him, and he would be the one whose name _ was bending over nonexistent deities.

Never mind. He was just a creature of wood. There was nothing attractive about his form, not to you. There was no passion in this empty shell of his.

"I swear, Deidara, I'd work hard. I would do anything for you. Anything."

The image returned. _ against the wall, back bitten by brick, moaning as the kisses trailed down her cheek, down her neck, across her collarbone, as the fingers gently traversed her porcelain thighs.

Sasori busied himself with cutting his poisonous weeds. He thought too much, really, he did. If he could stop being an idiot, just for a second, maybe he could cleanse his brain, his heart and stop tormenting himself with all those unrealistic ideas.

"Ne, Sasori?"

His name on your lips. He was filled with warmth. Usually, you forgot about him. As if he wasn't human enough for you.

He smiled, his eyes, like a doe's, saturated with feeling, "Yes?"

But then you turn away, sun catching your hair and making it look like a blade, "See, Deidara, your partner thinks it'd be great. He thinks that maybe I could be as great as you, someday, maybe."

Deidara raised an eyebrow, "Do you really think so, danna?"

Deidara's art was a lie.

He didn't deserve you.

You were already greater than him.

He didn't care for you.

But Sasori... he... he truly...

"I think it would work."

You and him, it would work.

And he traced a pattern across your cheek and you smiled, you saw that it was art and it was eternal, like his affection for you.

An inhibited fantasy again, unbidden and beautiful, but Sasori knew it would never happen.

Sometimes, he wished he was a real, living, breathing boy.

That somehow, someday, he could be deserving of your love.

And he knew he would wait for you forever.

**AN: I don't think I've ever written half-smut before, so I hope it's not too awkward.**

**I know the whole Sasori/Pinocchio thing is sort of overused, and I apologise for that, but I hope it's alright :)**


	3. Rumpelstiltskin

**Shinobi Stories**

**Rumpelstiltskin**

**Tobi**

**((I have no idea what genre this is))**

Pein was the commandeering sort. Do this. Do that. Do it- you're part of the cause, aren't you? Do what I tell you to or I kill you.

His threats always fell short, but really, what choice did you have? Either you obeyed him or you lost your last chance at a home.

The Akatsuki were your family now, albeit a dysfunctional one which you weren't sure whether to love or secretly hate. And like all families, you had your disputes. Pein was like a possessive, dominating father figure, and you the daughter who had no choice but to follow the rules, no matter how they annoyed you.

"I want you to search this mountain dwelling," he gestured towards the antiquated map on his desk, "For any information concerning the Jinchuuriki. They say there are scholars there who know most everything about the tailed beasts."

"In the mountains?" you repeated, incredulity tainting your voice.

"Yes, just past the wind border. You can't miss them."

"... Alright. Alone?"

The gentle incline of his head was answer enough, and so you left the office.

"Good morning, senpai!" a voice chirped from the shadows.

"Oh. It's you. Hi Tobi."

Of course it was. He was the only one to call you that- everyone else spoke to you almost degradingly. Yes, if Akatsuki were a family, Tobi was the adoring little brother. Or he would be, if only he wasn't as tall as you.

"Senpai has a new mission! Isn't it exciting?" he sang, clutching onto your arm, "I know senpai will do the best she can!"

You made a noncommittal noise and tried to prise him from your arm.

"It's just a shame you're terrified of those mountains, isn't it, _?"

You turned to face him sharply. His voice... from childishly enthusiastic to dripping with venom in an instant. Under that mask, his eye gleamed.

It was true. You'd hated those snow-hewn peaks ever since those people who had once claimed to love you had tried to rip you apart. Those crags were like stone knives, and even thinking about them made your stomach lurch. You knew you shouldn't be afraid of them- you were an S-rank criminal. Fear was supposed to be a word you didn't understand. And yet you were afraid of those mountains still.

"How... do you know about that?"

He was back to normal at once, as if that lapse was just a product of your paranoia, "You were drinking a lot of sake, and you kept trying to hug Deidei, and he didn't like that at all. So you came to me and you told me all about your life," he nodded solemnly, "It was very interesting, senpai."

There was truth in that eye of his. You sighed- your resistance against alcohol was very low, and you always seemed to make a fool of yourself under its influence, "Just don't tell anyone about it, okay?"

"I promise!" he yelled, jumping up and and down like a drug-addled rabbit, "Say, senpai, can I go? Can I? Can I? Please?"

"Pein set me the mission, not you, Tobi..."

"But senpaaaaaaiiiiii! Tobi loves mountains! Please, I won't bother you! If you want, Tobi will go instead!"

"But Pein..." you began, but stopped midway. To hell with Pein! You didn't have to do everything he told you to. And Tobi was mission-less and you really needed to shut him up, "Do you want to do it?"

He nodded vigorously, "If senpai doesn't mind."

But you knew the Akatsuki too well to just let it go. Your eyes narrowed, "Is there a catch?"

"No!" he sang and span away, "... Not yet!"

As soon as 'you' were back, Pein had another mission for you to fulfil. That was how it was with him. Never a rest. His eyes darted over private documents as he spoke, "This mission is very important, _, and that's why I want you to do it. You have the attributes which will loan success."

Your stomach knotted. There were very few things you had which the other members didn't, and when these talents were called upon, it spelled trouble.

"How potent exactly is your kinton?"

"Very potent, sir."

"Enough to wipe out a whole village?"

After a long pause, you decided "Probably, sir."

Your kinton was an indiscriminate fungal jutsu that worked on a microscopic level, affecting anyone in the vicinity with its chakra-charged spores. But if it was overused, the colonies under your skin would decline. Right now, there probably wasn't enough to do what Pein wanted, and honestly, it was better if he had no idea.

He showed you the location of the village and you skulked out his office. A hand closed around your upper arm and you jerked around to face the owner.

Tobi, of course.

"Your skin feels weird, _-senpai. Something wrong?"

You wrenched your arm from his grip, "Don't play stupid, Tobi."

"Tobi isn't playing."

"Tobi's always playing."

He began to giggle uncontrollably, as if this was the funniest thing he had ever heard, clutching his sides, breath racking his throat. The laughing fit subsided quickly however, and was instantly replaced by a steely gaze, "It's the spores, isn't it?"

You nodded, "Barely there. Could take up to a week to cultivate."

"See? You're always saying practice makes perfect but all it ever does is kill mushrooms. But senpai, I..."

"Could go in my place?"

"Like last time, and that didn't fail, did it?"

Apart from the fact that you had unintentionally invalidated your jutsu, he had a point. But this was worrying now; his willingness to help out had a catch in it somewhere, you knew it. And yet, you couldn't complain. You were useless at the moment.

"Sure, Tobi. I... appreciate it."

He might've been smiling beneath that mask as he bounded away, but you couldn't tell.

It seemed the success of those two missions had put 'you' in demand, because you were soon back in Pein's office, and he was debriefing you on another mission.

"The target is a genjutsu user from the Hidden Cloud; we need him dispatched to settle some blood debts," he slid a dossier of photos across the table, "He could cast an illusion upon himself to change his appearance, but here are the ones we've managed to document."

You pawed through the images. Sometimes, the target was wrinkled, sometimes long-haired, sometimes blonde, sometimes sallow, sometimes dark. The only connection between the guises was a small mark beneath his lip.

Something was niggling at the back of your head, "What about his name? Does he keep that or change it too?"

"As far as we know, he keeps it. Hideki Ryouta, I believe."

You digested this new piece of information for a moment, then stood up, "He'll be dead within a week, Pain-sama."

As you left the room, you looked around for Tobi and found him crouched in the shadows.

"You need my help again?" he asked scathingly.

"You're the one who keeps offering it!"

Tobi giggled and rocked back on his feet, "I'll be here if you need me, senpai."

These mood swings were too much. You sighed, "I think I do, Tobi. See, the man I'm supposed to kill... Hideki Ryouta... he raised me from birth and didn't abandon me, even when everyone else did. I know I'm weak for not wanting to kill him, but I'm afraid I'll chicken out at the last moment and…"

"Losing a friend is hard, senpai..." his voice was tinged with sadness, "But sometimes, you have to."

Those were surprisingly mature words for such a immature man, and you were taken aback. After a moment, you spoke, "He has to die for our cause, I accept that, but I don't want to do it myself."

"Tobi will kill him for you, then."

You were overwhelmed with gratitude, "Thank you so much, Tobi. I don't know how to repay you for this... for all this."

"We'll see, senpai," he called out as he ran into the trees.

You concentrated all your chakra into the tips of your finger, pouring it out, into the wind, directing the sparse spores at an innocent lizard sunning itself on a log. The reptile blinked as it was hit, but remained in place. It was only a matter of time.

"That's cruel, senpai!"

You turned, "Tobi! You're back! Did you...?" you trailed off, not sure if you wanted a yes or a no.

"Yep! And I decided on my payment too!"

"Oh, okay. What do you want? Sweets? Money? Me to be your partner?" Then it struck you. He was just a stupid kid at heart. Maybe he was being nice to you because he wanted, "A kiss?"

He was at your side in a second, his voice simperingly sweet, "If senpai wants to, I could hardly refuse."

"N-no, Tobi should have what he wants most."

"Oh, okay," he chirped, "Alright, so what do I want? Hmm... what was the saying again?" he put his head to the side, thought for a moment, "Oh yeah! An ear for an ear!"

There was a croak and a thud as the lizard fell down dead.

You didn't understand, "What? Do you mean an eye for an..."

Shit.

"You want me dead?

The eye beneath the mask was dead, emotionless, "Consider it more as a life for a life," he purred, "From here on out, you live your life for me."

The mood swings were still confusing. Was he trying to seduce you? Marry you? "Um... how about that kiss?"

"It's not a kiss I want," he took hold of your neck, leaned in to whisper in your ear, "It's eternal servitude."

His hands were cold, and his words sent a chill down your spine. You shivered involuntarily.

He laughed. It wasn't the almost girlish giggle from before, but a laugh fuelled from power, "You don't like that? Why, what's wrong? I fight for justice. I have a goal, greater than Pein- hell, Pein is my subordinate. What I'm planning involves more than just the Akatsuki, more than just the ninja who uphold the system. I plan to reform the world, model it in my image so that there is no unnecessary fighting, so that the corrupt system of ninjas gets overthrown, and peace replaces it," he sought out your hand and held it, his eyes impassioned and his grip firm, "Doesn't that sound beautiful, 'senpai'?"

It did, "I... peace isn't easily gained, Tobi..."

"Two people can help the world more than one, and you caught my eye. Your jutsu would prove very useful in the pursuit of a perfect world."

"If you want peace, then why do I need to use my jutsu?"

"Because people won't be peaceful unless they're coerced into it. We need to threaten them- say that if they don't uphold the peace, bad things will befall them."

You didn't like the hardness in his voice, "But that's not peace, that's oppression. I-"

"Don't like it?" his nails dug into your wrist, "I've been going out and doing your dirty work because you're too lazy, too afraid. You owe me. A life for a life, I said, and you will give me your life, whether you're dead or alive."

"Can I get out of this?"

There was a pause, and he let go of your hand, "Sure. But only if you know my name. You have three tries. If you get it, you get you freedom. If you don't, you serve me, or you die. So, I ask you: what's my name?"

"It's Tobi."

"That's my alias. I asked for my name. Strike two."

You racked your brains for a clue to his identity, and remembered a murmured conversation you'd overheard through a door. You had heard Pein and Konan whispering, and thought they were doing something... compromising... and you had been about to leave when you heard Tobi's voice, and the name Uchiha Madara.

If that wasn't his name, then you had no more ideas.

But when you said it, there was a smirk in his voice, "Oh, I lied about that."

"Then I don't know."

He laughed again, taking you by the waist and leading you away from the hideout, "You're mine until you know my name, _."

"But I won't ever know your name."

He laughed louder, "Then you're mine forever."

**A/N: It's still sort of like Rumpelstiltskin, because of things, but meh. It was my fave story as a kid, so I don't feel I did it justice...**


	4. Little Red Riding Hood

**Shinobi Stories**

**Little Red Riding Hood**

**Kiba x Reader**

**Humour**

Working at Konohagakure's taiyaki bar had its benefits, and even before you officially started work there, you were reaping them like there was no tomorrow.

First and foremost, the free food. That was always a great place to start. When lunch rolled by, you were allowed to take one- and sometimes more- of the chocolatey delights, and your kind old boss would offer you some homemade bento, complete with all the dainty extras you were too lazy to make yourself. At the end of the day, if there was anything left over, it was there for your taking- a perk you often took advantage of.

Also, your boss was kind and the pay almost too much so for the little work you did. Not that you were complaining. You appreciated that more than anyone. The uniform wasn't that bad either: quite simple, little more than a red hooded smock and an apron.

However, the best thing about the job was the ninja who ate there. Coming from a civilian family, you had always had very little contact with shinobi, so when they returned from their missions and paid your tips with tales of distant villages, it more than made up for your long hours and monotonous work.

Of those ninja, Kiba Inazuka was your favourite. Perhaps you were obligated to say that, since he was a loyal customer with a sweet tooth that any missing-nin would be afraid of, but it was the truth. His stories were the funniest, lewdest and loudest, and his smiles the most enchanting. And his laughter- only one with the strength of ten men could possibly resist joining him.

It was safe to say that you had liked him as soon as you had first laid eyes on him. He had swaggered into that shop a newly promoted chūnin, full of self-proclaimed superiority, and bought the shop clean. While old master fretted and fussed over the empty pantry, you lingered to chat. Your eyes had been drawn first to his huge, loveable mutt of a dog, so he told you of him first, and a little of his jutsu. And as he talked, you started to notice other things, like the curve of his lip and the sharp edges of his teeth, the set of his cheeks and jaw and the precise markings that ran down them, the glint in his eyes and lilt of his bicep, the crest of his unmade hair and the honey in his rich, gravelly voice. Undeniably good looking.

Perhaps he saw a little of that in you too, since one particularly rainy day, where the droplets fell fast and hard so they felt like liquid needles on your skin, he came to take shelter beneath the canvas roof. While Akamaru pressed up to the grill for warmth, Kiba shivered in the corner, relying on the warmth of human companionship to stop himself from freezing. When you offered him your hood, he took it gratefully, repaying your generosity with a kiss on the cheek and an order for ten taiyaki.

That was the way it went with Kiba; straightforward yet nonchalant. Whenever it seemed like he was actually kind of into you, it turned out he was just trying to schmooze something out of it. If you had a penny for every time he had kissed you as a form of bribery, you would have bought your way into the ninja academy long ago.

By the time Valentine's Day rolled around, you decided you'd had enough of his guessing games and prepared him some chocolate from the leftover taiyaki filling. If he realised what the gesture meant, he didn't show it, instead choosing to laugh at your poor craftsmanship. He didn't kiss you that day, not even in jest. And he took cares not even to touch you in the coming month.

Just when you were beginning to lose hope in your fruitless love, it was White Day and the morning brought a letter and one of the taiyaki Kiba had bought the previous day. The crust was slightly stale when you bit into it, but even his laziness and old taiyaki couldn't dampen your mood. His handwriting was rushed and almost illegible, and it took some effort to read his words:

_'Hey. Think I'll take you up on your Valentine's offer- could be a blast. Of course, it helps you're pretty and funny and -good- goddamn great at cooking (sorry if that sounded shallow) Basically, I really like you too. So here's my White Day present- nothing in Konoha is better than your taiyaki. Come to my place later, okay? And bring more- Akamaru loves that shit. Love, Kiba x'_

It didn't take much effort to persuade old master to let you off work for the day, not when you were smiling that way, especially not when you paid him extra for all the taiyaki you took.

You knew Kiba's house was on the edge of town because on the flip side of the note came was a (decidedly crappy) hand drawn map. Taiyaki in a take-away basket in your right hand, the note crumpled in the left, you set out on what you hoped would be the best trip of your life. And so it was; nothing in town could taint your perfect mood. The sight of young ninja didn't stir any jealousy. Seeing that Ichiraku had a queue out the door didn't worry you or your purse. The fact that the clothes store was sold out of those boots you had been saving up for didn't frustrate you. No matter what, your smile didn't waver. In fact, it only grew as it was absorbed and reflected off the faces of passersby.

And then, finally, you were there. His house, half obscured by the forest, was the most beautiful thing in the world at that moment.

No, save that thought. Kiba was. He left the house, bounding up to you like an excited puppy. The taiyaki forgotten, you ran to meet him, your arms encircling his body, your mouth closing over his. He was clearly taken aback by your openness, confused and unresponsive.

"_?" he said from somewhere over your shoulder. Which was weird, since you were sort of in the process of making out with him, "Why the shit are you snogging Akamaru?"

You let go quickly, your previous passion forgotten in a furry instant as Akamaru became his canine self once more. He looked at you with bewildered eyes, sitting back on his haunches, very much dazed. It occurred to you that it could have been the actual Kiba looking like that, unable to refuse you after discovering how bloody great at kissing you were. Instead, he was laughing at you, his mirth barely expressed through his almost violent hysterics.

Sheepish, you retrieved the taiyaki you had dropped in your haste to molest his dog, searching for the last shreds of your dignity amongst the crumbs.

He took the basket from your hands, smiled, "God, I love your dumb ass."


	5. The Frog Prince

**Shinobi Stories**

**The Frog Prince**

**Naruto x Reader**

**Fluff (?)**

From a very young age, you'd had a flourishing imagination and believed in anything you were told. Your fear of spiders had been solved when your older sister told you they were the vessels for craftsmen's spirits when they passed. You believed in Yuki-onna, and her castle of ice. You dreamed that you could see a person's soul through their eyes. Such fanciful notions had been retained throughout your life; sixteen now, you still considered all of them to be true, no matter how Seiko ridiculed you.

"Look, _, the spiders are weaving you a shawl," your older sister would say whenever you passed a web. When winter came, "Shouldn't we offer gifts to the ice queen?" She would flick your nose, tell you, "Maybe you're right. Your eyes are as hazy as your head."

Even so, she had that vein of creativity in her. She would tell you stories from each corner of the world, and spin her own as well. Once, she told you she fancied herself a storyteller equal to the legendary sannin Jiraiya. Perhaps you shouldn't have, but you laughed at her, pointed out that he wrote sleazy adult novels. Insulted, she didn't speak to you again for a week.

Your favourite story of hers was The Frog Prince, in which the poor heroine kissed a frog, which transformed into a handsome prince and asked for her hand. When you both were young, you would go hunting for frogs, but kissing them never got you anything more than slime in your mouth. You grew out of that habit quick enough.

However, your dreams amounted to more than just getting a handsome husband- though sometimes it felt that was all your parents wanted from you. Seiko wanted to write her own stories, or at the very least meet her role model. You wanted to travel the world, see the stories for your self. You wanted to see Sunagakure's dunes, absolve yourself in Amegakure's rain, stand beside Konohagakure's founder's statues.

Your dream, at least, was coming true. The day you had turned sixteen, your father gave you a bag full of coins, your mother, a shawl and a comfortable pair of shoes, and Seiko, a beautiful hand drawn map, a compass, and a piece of advice

"Go to Mount Myōboku first. It's beautiful, apparently, a great site for pilgrimage, a whole village full of toads. A month long trek, but worth it, I'm sure."

With happy tears in your eyes, and hugs all around, you had left your humble homestead to fulfil your ambitions. The walk was rough at parts, and your feet were beginning to blister, harden and crack. You didn't conserve water well, and went thirsty for long periods before you came across another clean water source. Stretching money was difficult too. Although you had a lot of it, you needed to pay for food and housing, and it occurred to you that you would have to work in order to keep moving. Eventually, sure, but not for a long time yet, since local hospitality could often be counted upon to brighten your week

That friendly spirit was a main drive in your long journey, and you met many interesting people and heard many interesting stories along the way. For example, the tale a grizzled old man whose goat had run off and returned mooing instead of bleating, or a gambler who had fought with the slug princess and emerged practically unscathed except for the fact her hair had been ripped from her scalp, or a small child who had simply come top of his class. Someday, you hoped to return and talk to them again, but for now, the rest of the world beckoned.

36 days on, the gates of Mount Myōboku were opened to you, this land of water and leaves as big as your head, vibrant enough to pierce the night. The gentle woodwind of the breeze and percussion of the water constituted your welcoming fanfare as you stepped onto the carefully paved stone.

"Kiss the first toad you see," Seiko had whispered laughingly before you left, "Doesn't matter that it's not a frog. Doesn't matter how ugly it is. It could turn out to be the man of your dreams, you know.

The streets, however, were empty. Night had chased the bufonidous creatures inside. The only life on the street constituted of the midges that deftly avoided your swatting hands. As you walked, you wondered if the innkeeper would offer you a discount if you greeted him with a kiss.

In the end, that proved to be unnecessary, since you found a toad sitting beside the pool. It was undoubtedly the ugliest in the village, with its rubbery skin bubbling and puckering, eyes wrinkled up in bulbous sacs, limbs malformed and jutting out at awkward angles. You wanted nothing less than to kiss the creature before you, except perhaps lying to your big sister. So, ever so slowly, you stepped forward and pressed a kiss to its waxy lips. As instantaneously as you began to wipe the offensive taste off your tongue, the toad toppled back into the pool with a resounding splash.

Before the water cleared, and before you were rid of the taste, a head popped out of the pool. A human head. You stared. The blond hair was tossed, and luminescent water spat in every direction. The boy looked at you, the stripes on his cheeks pulled out of proportion by the shocked circle his mouth made, "What was that for, dattebayo?"

Your surprise at the transformation near silenced you, "I- I don't know. I was hoping for a prince.

His eyebrows raised, "A prince?

"From the story."

You were both quiet for a moment. His eyes transfixed you, a blue as bright as his smile that held a determined sliver of moonlight in their depths. Here was proof of the prevalence of the soul.

At once, he spoke again, "I'll be your prince. I'm going to be Hokage someday, just you wait and see. So I guess that makes me a prince of sorts, huh?"

You smiled at your real-life fairytale, "Yeah, I guess. I kind of like that idea."

"Me too."


End file.
